BRADFORD (20 January, 1998)

The campaign to free two Kashmiri students, Abdul Qayyum Raja and Mohammed Riaz, imprisoned in the UK since February 1984 is being stepped up by Free Riaz and Qayyum Campaign (FRAQC) since the new Labour Home Secretary has failed to make an early decision in their case as promised prior to the general election.

Fresh representations were made on their behalf by four Bradford MPs at the end of October last year to a home office minister Joice Quinn but no decision has yet been taken by the home office.

Raja and Riaz were convicted with 'circumstantial evidence' in February 1985, in Birmingham, for their alleged involvement in the kidnapping and subsequent killing of an Indian diplomat - Both pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder but were given life sentence by the trial judge with a recommendation that Raja should serve 15 years and Riaz 10 years. Both have now served 14 years but an executive decision by a former home secretary added 10 years to their period in custody which campaigners see as grossly unfair and, unjust interference in the judicial process contrary to natural justice. The law required the Home Secretary to advise the prisoners of the 'tariff' - period in custody - which he did not do until nine years later when he was challenged in the courts. Tory home secretary, Douglas Hurd, not only denied them their right to know for over nine agonising years but failed to invite representations for mitigation and arbitrarily added 10 years to the sentences recommended by the trial judge. Had he not done so, with remission and good behavior, Raja should have been released and deported to the country of his origin by now and Riaz - a British citizen of Kashmiri origin - should have been released four years ago.

In December 1995, the London High Court quashed the home office decision to set arbitrary tariff and ruled that the home secretary's decision making process was 'fatally flawed'. The Court ordered a fresh decision but a year later the then Home secretary, Michael Howard, re-affirmed their 'tariff' as the same despite representations from MPs, Peers and rights groups such as Justice and Liberty. Thirty three MPs signed an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons which demanded their release from prison and over 10,000 signatures were presented to the Home Office in July 1996 by the campaigners seeking justice for the two prisoners. Trade Union leaders and Labour Party branches also pleaded for compassion in this case. An all party delegation of MPs, lead by Max Madden, met with the Home Office minister Michael Forsythe and the then shadow home secretary Jack Straw to seek justice for the prisoners but all pleas fell on deaf years.

A high level delegation of seven campaigners including Bradford MPs, Marsha Singh, Terry Rooney, Council Leader John Ryan, deputy leader Ian Greenwood, FRAQC coordinator Councilor Shafiq Mir, Councilor G Khaliq and a Kashmiri leader Azmat Khan met with the Home Secretary, Jack Straw during his visit to Bradford last week, and appealed to him to reconsider the case afresh. The delegation presented a memorandum to the Home Secretary who promised to review the case with due urgency. END.